Owing to the changing lifestyles, user needs and advancing technologies, more users are using mobile devices and tablets to access the internet and achieve various tasks. The convenience of having access to information and the ability to execute several tasks on the go.
Creating User Interfaces for website, web applications and mobile apps can be a very challenging task. UI designers have to face the challenge of designing interfaces and systems for several screen sizes without compromising on any functionality of the application. Graphical interfaces serve as a solution to overcome these limitations. Tablets and hand held devices with their limited canvas space make use of graphical symbols to elucidate interactive elements on screens.
Graphical symbols or Icons are easy to identify than regular text as they can be easily distinguishable from each other. They also take up less space than textual content. Most times, icons have text below them to assist a new user in relating to it.
Considering the number of interfaces being designed each day, there is a huge need for designers to come up with unique designs to distinguish their interface from the other softwares in the market. Though designers can unquestionably create amazing sets of icons design, most designers prefer to choose from professional Stock Icons that are offered at stock images websites.
What are Stock Icons and where to Buy Vector Icons?
Professional icon designers and illustrators contribute icons to stock websites where they are offered for sale. Users can go to any of these stock agencies and purchase high-quality Stock Vector Icons for their projects. We urgently recommend not to use free icon sets or websites which offer icons free. These collections can harm your theme, app or development business. It's much better to just purchase icons and then be saved for further usage.
Buyers of Stock Icons get the advantage of choosing from a huge variety of high-quality icon sets. Depending on the kind of license offered with these professional icon sets, they can be used in web application projects and distributable themes and templates as well. License usage terms of stock websites differ from each other and should be read thoroughly before using the Stock Icons in your projects.
Today we are going to look at 20 Best Places to Buy Professional Stock Icons for your projects. We shall explore various aspects that can help you choose the best stock websites for your Stock Icons.
20 Best Places to Buy Professional Stock Icons
You can Bookmark these 20 Best Places to Buy Professional Stock Icons for your future project requirement.
1. Icontail
Icontail, a massive collection of professionally designed vectors, all tied up in one easy to use website. With over 2000+ Vectors, spread out over 50 categories, such as Communications and Networks, Emoticons, People, Business and so much more, Icontail is the perfect designers companion. Wether it is for a website, application or user interface, Icontail has you covered.
Designed professionally by pixel perfect, each icon in this massive package comes in both line and filled varients and complies perfectly with both iOS and Android design philosophies, ensuring they look perfect however you choose to use them and with them coming in 11 different formats, including AI, EPS, PSD and CSH, all fully customisable in your favourite vector editing software, and in 7 different sizes, Icontail will either have exactly what you need, or empowers you to create it.
The licensing is as simple as pie, combining both the personal and commercial aspects of a licence, you pay once and can use this amazing icon pack for whatever you like, whenever you like and as much as you like, leaving you free to create and sell your creation to whomever you like and as much as you like.
Check out our full Icontail review for more details, and visit Icontail website to download this amazing vector icon pack.
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2. Iconsolid
Iconsolid is an awesome website to buy premium icons for your projects. Iconsolid offers high quality icons in several sizes and various file formats such as EPS, AI, SVG, PNG, PSD and CSH. Font formats like EOT, TTF and WOFF are also offered so that they can be easily incorporated into websites, templates and web and mobile apps using the @font-face CSS rule.
Iconsolid has 1075 icons offered in several categories such as Communication, Business, Arrow, E-commerce, Hardware, Interface, Multimedia, Objects, People, Place, Security, SEO icons and Social Weather.
The licensing too is kept simple to make it easier for the designers and developers to choose the right license based on their project needs. The Standard License permits the use of icons in commercial and personal websites. A Developer License is offered for use of icons in templates, themes and software application that may be offered for resale.
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Unlike most stock agencies Iconsolid is dedicated to designing and selling of only Icons. You would also agree that the pricing is really low for the quality. Besides, the developer license gives absolute freedom to use the icons across different types of projects.
3. iStock
iStock, a part of Getty Images is a leading stock image website which hosts a large collection of stock vectors icons. They offer more than 717000 Stock Icons to choose from. With powerful search features you can be sure to find your icons within minutes. A high-res JPEG with a minimum size of 1900px by 2800px and an EPS file is offered as stock icon downloads.
If you plan to use the icons on CMS themes, website templates or apps for resale, you would need to buy an ‘Electronic Items for Resale Extended License’. This license gives you the ability to have unlimited runs as well. For use on your website or blog, a Standard License would suffice. The ‘Electronic Items for Resale Extended License’ with all its goodness comes for an additional price of $125 only.
4. Thinkstock
Thinkstock is a leading Stock Agency website that offers tons of high quality Vectors chosen from iStock and Getty Images. Searching for icons on Thinkstock returns more than 253,500 high quality Stock Icons results.
Thinkstock also has an awesome pricing system where the low res images, high res ones and Vector images are all offered for the same price. Usually this is not the case with most stock website pricing where Vectors are priced way higher than the raster ones.
All Stock Icons come at Thinkstock come with a Standard Royalty Free License which allow the users to use the icons in websites, social media sites, mobile apps, e-mailers, software applications and e-books. But for use in electronic templates, such as website themes and design templates, you’ll have to contact the Thinkstock team as they offer a customized template solution for such uses.
5. Shutterstock
Shutterstock is one of the leaders in the stock image and stock vector industry. They are among the biggest stock images libraries in the world. Shutterstock has a collection of over 1847600 Stock Icons to offer in various categories.
Shutterstock offers a Standard License which permits the buyers to use the Stock Icons on websites. The Standard License also allows the use of Stock Icons on softwares, e-books, emails and mobile apps, provided no image is reproduced two hundred and fifty thousand times in aggregate.
If you want to have unlimited reproductions of the icons on mobile apps, softwares, emails and e-books, you can purchase an Enhanced License. Shutterstock does not permit the use of Stock Icons on products for resale such as themes and templates. You may contact the Shutterstock team if you want to use the Stock Icons on Social Media sites, which otherwise is restricted.
6. 123RF
123RF is one of the largest stock agencies offering royalty free vectors. In all, 123RF offers above 921200 icons for your projects. Like most stock agencies the vector files are offered for a slightly higher price.
For regular use of icons on your websites and blogs you may purchase the Regular License. Purchase the Electronic only Extended License in case you need to use the Stock Icons in software products, website templates and themes for distribution.
7. Bigstock
Bigstock, as the name suggests is one of the biggest stock agencies indeed. There are around 904,200 Stock Icons waiting to be downloaded here.
The Subscription Plan at Bigstock offers Vectors for the same price as the raster ones. You may also purchase with Credits, but the pricing is a bit on the higher side for Vectors in this plan. So taking a Subscription would help you save a lot if you frequently download Vectors for your projects.
Bigstock’s Standard Usage Agreement permits the use of Stock Icons on websites, blogs, emails and e-books. For use in website templates, you would need to purchase an Extended Usage Agreement.
8. Depositphotos
This stock agency is among the most trusted stock websites in the world. It has a collection of more than 209,456 unique Stock Icons in store. Just like the Subscription plan at Bigstock, Depositphotos too offers Vectors and images at the same price. The Credit plan offers Vectors for a higher price than raster images.
The Standard License permits the users to incorporate the stock icons in websites, blogs, emails and e-books. In case you need to use the icons in web templates, purchase the Extended License which permits you to resell your designs.
9. Fotolia
Fotolia is a reliable stock agency with a large collection of exceptional vectors for download. It offers more than 1,169,700 Stock Icons. The Subscription plan from Fotolia offers Vectors and Raster images for the same price. Purchasing with Credits requires you to pay a bit more for Vector formats.
Fotolia’s Standard License lets you use the Stock Icons in websites, emails, newsletters and e-books. To use the icons in web templates and software application intended for resale, purchase the Extended License.
10. Photospin
Photospin is another popular stock websites that offers high quality Vectors. You can choose from a huge collection of high quality stock vectors icons here. Photospin offers Subscription plans that have the same pricing for Vectors and Raster images. You can also purchase single images which cost more for Vector images.
The Standard License permits use of Stock Icons on websites and designs which are not for resale. For use of icons in website templates and software, you would need to contact the Photospin team for a Specific User License.
11. Ingimage
Ingimage is a well reputed stock agency known for their high quality content and unbeatable pricing. Ingimage has one of the best Subscription plans in the industry where the yearly subscription can get you an image for as low as $0.08. Ingimage also has a Credit based plan which offers 10 downloads with a years validity.
Ingimage has over 105,800 icons in their library. You can be sure to get the highest quality of Stock Icons here as the images here are not crowd-sourced.
You can use the Stock Icons in websites, blogs or mailers with the Standard End User Agreement, but the use of icons in templates is prohibited. The Extended License too does not permit the use of icons in templates. Checkout the Ingimage review to know more about this stock agency.
12. Picons.me
Picons.me is another awesome website for Stock Icons. Picons offers professionally designed 7 unique icon sets for downloads. They also offer a ‘Picons Complete Icons Pack’ with all the 1350 icons for a discounted price. To help the designers and developers easily implement these in their designs, the files are offered in several formats such as AI, PDF, EPS, CSH, PNG, PSD and SVG.
All the premium icons sold here come with a Royalty Free License which allows you to use the icons in websites, distributable templates and apps as well. The royalty free license does not allow the user to have more than 20 icons in distributable templates and themes and 100 icons in non-commercial projects. You are required to contact the Picons team and purchase an Extended License to remove such limitations.
13. Dutchicon
Dutch Icon is a Holland based company that creates pixel perfect Stock Icons for designer and developers. Dutch Icon has created Icons in every category you can possibly think of. There are 149 Icon sets to choose from.
The Stock Icons are designed in three distinct styles, namely Gizmo, Pika and Raw. The Gizmo style is designed in Thin Line style introduced by Apple in iOs 7. The Pika style borrows design style mainly from the Flat Design style but has rounded corners to give it a softer look. The Raw design is simple and smooth but has a reflection at the bottom of each icon.
The Stock Icons from Dutch Icon are Royalty Free and can be purchased with a Non-Exclusive or an Exclusive license. Dutch Icons permits you to use the Icons in websites, software application, computer games, newsletters and navigation systems. Use of Icons in items for resale such as templates is prohibited.
14. Iconeden
Icon Eden provides professionally designed icons sets for designers and developers. They have Icons designed in various styles. Some sets are designed with high detail, some with gloss and some use the Flat and Thin Design style.
They offer an ‘All Icons Bundle’ with 4300+ icons for an unbelievable price that you definitely should checkout.
All Icons offered here are Royalty Free and can be used in websites, blogs, software applications and mobile apps as well. Use of these Stock Icons in templates and themes for resale is prohibited.
15. Dryicons
DryIcons offers over 5000 Icons in 77 diverse Icon sets. All Stock Icons are carefully crafted with very high graphic detail. You will find some rare Stock Icons sets which are hard to find elsewhere.
The Regular royalty free license gives permission to use the Icons in websites, blogs and in mobile applications if offered as free downloads. You’ll have to purchase the Extended License if you intend to sell these mobile apps or web templates. However, offering such mobile apps and web templates for reselling is not allowed even with the Extended License.
16. Icojam
Icojam is another awesome websites that offers 19 different high quality premium Icons sets for designers and developers. Most Stock Icons offered here are in various formats such as AI, PSD, CSH, SVG and PNG. Some Icons sets are offered in AI, PSD and PNG only.
Some Icons sets here like the ‘Eldorado Stroke Icons set’ and the ‘Eldorado Icons set’ contain up to 1555 icons in all. These Icon sets have Stock Icons in varied categories and some rare ones such as Culture, Education, Medicine, Transport, Furniture and Appliance. The License terms are straightforward; the Icons offered here are royalty free and can used in websites, and in web and mobile applications.
17. IconExperience
Icons Experience offers professional quality Stock Icons in 5 different icon sets. The styles used in these Stock Icon sets are versatile and cover design styles such as the Flat Design style, the Line Icon style from iOs 7, high detailed 3D icons and the Monochrome 3D style which is a unique icon style.
The License offered with each Icon Set is Royalty Free and offers the freedom to use the icons in unlimited software projects.
18. Icons-land
Icons-Land offer stock icon sets in a wide range of categories. All Icons offered here are of an exceptional quality. Some Icons sets like the GIS/GPS/MAP Icons set and Point of Interest Icon set are uncommon and extremely useful Icons sets which ought to be a part of every designers kit. They also offer a ‘Flags Stock Icons set’ which has flags of 282 nations with 3 different variations for each.
The Icons-Land Commercial License Agreement allows you to use the icons in any number of personal or commercial projects. You may use the icons in software and mobile applications, computer games, web applications and interface designs as well.
19. Sweet-16s
Sweet-16s offer icons in 13 categories with 704 icons in all. All icons are hand crafted on a 16px x 16px canvas, with dark outlines to work with light and dark backgrounds. All the icons are offered in PNG format with transparent backgrounds.
The icons offered can be used in personal and commercial websites and applications.
20. Icondrawer
Icondrawer offers high-quality Stock Icons in 4 different styles. All these icons are intricately designed with beautiful colors and high graphic detail.
These professional icons are Royalty Free Stock Icons and can be used in GUI design, presentations, softwares and websites. Icondrawer restricts the use of icons in web templates.
This is brings us to the end of this awesome list of Professional Stock Icons websites.
All Stock Icons offered by these websites are proficiently designed, and can give your interface the professional look you desire. Smart Icon design aids user interaction and can majorly contribute to the success of your applications.
Note: We have just given an overview of the License terms and conditions for each websites and strongly advise you to read the respective license agreements thoroughly before purchasing the Stock Icons from these websites. You may get in touch with the respective site owners in case of any ambiguity.
We hope you loved this list we put together and would love to know if there are some stock icon sites that should’ve made it here. And if you’re a designer, subscribe or visit often for more awesome stuff before you go and Buy Vector Icons today!